Saturday, August 6, 2005

Quite an Adventure Today!

We had some more errands to do, so Debby and I headed back out to Kampala today. I also hoped to maybe get some better pictures because I was unhappy with the final showing from yesterday. 

I didn't feel like the pictures I'd taken were at all indicative of Kampala. Also, an antiquities shop in town had new primate prints in it, and Debby and I were eager to go peep at them. 

So, among other things, another trip to Kampala was in order. 

We headed off later today, because it was Saturday and it's only right to loll around during the morning on Saturday. 

We took the landcruiser this time, seeing as one of our tasks was to pick up a new freezer for all of our various freezables and it was large and needed the big back. Previously, we'd had 3 mini fridges, but considering that we buy dogfood frozen, and have lots of medical supplies (drugs, etc) that need to be frozen as well, it was really appropriate to have a dedicated freezer because those mini fridge freezers are teeny tiny.

We'd had no room to put our own freezables!


Anyway, so the landcruiser was having issues with changing gears, and we'd driven about 25 miles (we were about 10 miles from Kampala) when smoke started emitting from the front hood. The temperature gauge hadn't actually raised, but it did indeed seem to have overheated. So, the car stopped working on the MAIN road into Kampala. Cars were honking at us, and whizzing by at breakneck speed.

I finally found an opening to get the door ajar, and asked some guys to help us push the car to the side of the road. Debby was convinced that they'd ask for money or something, but you know me -- I can sell snow to eskimos :P

So, the car was by the side of the road! Little children of course thought it was very funny to see two wuzungu stranded like that... of course they stood around, giggling and pointing.

We called Richard and asked him to come and bring some jerry cans full of water to cool down the car, but Debby thought that maybe the engine was seized or somehow damaged from overheating. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Richard came and we exchanged cars. He stayed with the Land Cruiser, and we headed off.

So many errands! So little time! Always behind!

We managed to get most everything done, except popping in to see the Primate Prints. Cry, cry.


Richard had called a tow truck at noon to bring the car back to Entebbe, and had taken a matatu back.

By the time we'd gotten everything done, we'd been out for hours.

Imagine our surprise, when, on the road back to Entebbe, but closer to Kampala than we'd broken down, we drive past our CAR. Being towed, and in the entirely wrong area that it shouldbe.

Well, actually, by this point, it should be at home. 

I think it's quite funny, but Debby is finding it quite suspect. That the car was towed into Kampala...i.e. in the opposite direction of Entebbe, before they started bringing it home. She figured they probably stripped parts from it or something. She pulled over and waited for the tow truck to pass us, but after 20 minutes, it still hadn't.

Concerned, we turned around to look for it. Finally, we saw them pulling it, slowly, along the highway.

We turned around again, and drove to catch up to them (they were driving pretty slowly). But by the time we reached them, they were pulled over to the side of the road.

Totally suspicious by this point, we pulled over. It looked like they were unhitching the car from the tow truck. As the tow truck pulled off, Debby got out and tried to figure out what the heck was going on!

It seemed that they were going to Entebbe, but "running other errands" first. If one of them included siphoning off our newly full tank of gas, I guess I won't know. But whatever it was, it was sketch.

We, however, continued on our way. Finally getting home, and bringing Annie the donuts and pizza that she so desperately needed to finish analyzing the sample slides for her thesis-y type paper, I realized what an exhausting day it had been!

Between driving everywhere to finish our errands, getting in and out of the car, sitting and waiting in the hot hot sun... 

BLAH!

Tonight we'd been thinking of heading into Kampala - Gerald, the Assistant Sanctuary Manager, Isaac, the Education Director, Terry, Ben (the guy who was here last week) and um, Joanna, our longstay visitor. We were gonna start at the Lake Vic, which I'll probably still do, but woooo, I dunno about partying in Kampala.

Maybe if I take a NAP first! 

Speaking of which, I'm gonna go do that!

If people would be so kind to go and look at the new pictures I uploaded :P (heh) ... I'm hoping they'll give people a better sense of Kampala, and, maybe, Africa! Again, I've written lots of comments too! Enjoy! 

Friday, August 5, 2005

Far Far Away

This song made me think of this particular person, who I haven't heard back from recently (okay, fine, two days. I'm impatient.)

And I was like "Wow. I wonder if I'm ever going to hear from ____ again.

The thought of losing someone in my life, who clearly, to me, matters, is really, really sad.

I realized suddenly the things I might be giving up to come here, and do all this. The sacrifices you make.

Of course, the argument stands to be made as well that I'm being entirely premature. And spazmatic. Like usual. 

And also, that if they don't write back, that they're not much of a friend anyway. 

Or, conversely, hate email.


In the span of a year, though, it's bound to happen. And that just is making me a little melancholy.

Ahhhhhhh...

I just came back from walking to the post office with Terry.

Now, even though I opened my box about 2 weeks ago, my key still isn't ready. Wanna know why?

Because they had to order it from Nairobi(Kenya)

Now, aren't there key makers in Uganda? In any of Uganda? Eek!

Plus, I had no mail. Boo hiss. Cry, even.

But, sitting here in my room, I have really the most perfect crossbreeze. And sun.

Am so happy. Are people enjoying the pictures/video?

MEDIA UPDATE

I've finally got some fun stuff for people to peek at on the site right now:

Some photos still haven't quite uploaded, especially ones of me and Leo (the smallest puppy who just found a home yesterday).

But, surprisingly, the .movs are nearly done.

So, without further ado: 

Chronicles of my Second Week in Africa

Photos

Video

Wash With Caution

I'm relaying this story knowing that, after telling it, no one is ever going to visit me here ;)

Annie was in DRC with Debby last week, in Bukavu. They did a little bit of wash while they were there, and Annie hung up her pants outside on the deck for a few hours to dry.

About 3 days ago, she had a horrible mosquito bite on her abdomen. It was super itchy, and pretty big. She thought she'd over-itched it in her sleep, because a day went by and it was getting bigger, and redder and it hurt a little. She thought it might be infected.

Yesterday, it continued to grow. I offered some antibacterial stuff to put on it, but she thought it was probably healing.

Last night, she thought it looked a little pussy, so she squeezed it an a big tube of pus came out. 

She looked at it by candlelight on her finger, and realized...

... it was wriggling.

She ran into Debby, who nonchalantly said "Oh, it's a mango fly maggot."

***********

Apparently, mango flies are prevalent in the DRC, but not so at all here (thank god)

They love wet clothes, and they lay their eggs. The eggs come alive when they come in contact with warmth (i.e. human flesh) and they burrow into the warmth and gestate. 

Once they're ready, they emerge from your skin. Annie was lucky to have squeezed one out prematurely.

I personally thought it was sort of cool. But I can only imagine the comments I'll get after my first bug post!

Will it ever grow old?


Will I ever get tired of the lush greenness, contrasted by the rich, orange soil? I'm still trying to process everything I saw today. It's all just a jumble in my head, but I sat in the front seat on the way back, my eyes open despite the dust of the road, just amazed with everything I was seeing.

I can't imagine how I lived my life for so long without experiencing other cultures that are so diverse from our own. Or the things we take for granted.

For example, in Garden City, we were intercepted by an enormous group of schoolchildren who were... get this... riding an escalator for their very first time. They were teaching them proper escalator technique, and safety procedures. They all queued up at the entrance of the escalator, while it was turned off. A security guard lectured them while they waited, giddy in their tiny red and white uniforms and knee socks.

Finally, they turned on the escalator, and they rode up. They were exuberant. But, of course, very safe.

It was amazing to watch.

We had an enormous list of things to do in Kampala, and we had to be back by around one, so we left the house around 7 am this morning. I'm still not used to riding on the left or driving on the lefthand side of the road, but it's the least of anyone's problems because people drive like lunatics.

Kampala's traffic is probably some of the worst in the world as well. So many traffic circles, and bodabodas weaving between cars, and people crossing the streets willy nilly.

The drive to Kampala was absolutely beautiful, because the sun was just coming up and it was shining over the green hills. There was a moment where we came over the crest of a hill, and all I could see for miles was rolling greenness, and I think I probably had my mouth open, gasping, because Debby looked over and was like "it's really something, isn't it?"

We had breakfast at this place pretty early, and watched some news. I also finally got some money from the ATM. Thank goodness.

I thankfully found a grocery store that sold feminine products that weren't made by o.b., which, otherwise, is all you're going to find in Africa.

Oh! There was a man on a bicycle that was a payphone! It was quite funny!

I took lots of pictures to try to give people a sense of what Kampala looks like. Or East African cities, for that matter.

Overall, it was just an exquisite morning. I sort of hoped that I'd be able to illustrate it verbally better.

The big feeling was like you are part of this living, breathing, community. This enormous mass of life. Everything busy. Everything alive. The area around the people is alive too. It grows past their borders, and isn't contained or controlled. Everyone is moving and working.

*shrugs*

Maybe I'll have further illuminations once it's processed in my brain a little better.

    Finally

    The power came back on last night around 8:30, minus the internet, but I had to wake up early (as its now 6:30 am) to get to Kampala before the traffic hit with Annie and Debby.

    So, I wish I could write about yesterday and last night, but it'll just have to wait until later!

    Stupid Power

    Thursday, 3:30 pm

    Ah well, so the power has just gone out again. Luckily for me, Annie and I have a swimming date at 5:00 pm, so there isn't really so much to endure before I can skidaddle to the land of rich people generators at Lake Vic. 

    I'm not sure if I'll have dinner there again.. I mean, it'll start adding up. Plus, Debby is here tonight. And I'm wondering whether not having dinner was good for me. I might only have dinner every other night or something.

    I've been beastly productive today. I spent the morning finally unpacking all my things, and just feeling really compelled and driven to get stuff done. My clothes are officially entirely unpacked. 

    I also burned stuff from the marketing laptop onto a CD, since I seemed unable to make the external harddrive show up on my machine.

    I started working on some of the signage too for the island shop. And it feels really good.

    Tonight, Debby is making veggie lasagna (Yum!) and I'm heading to the Pool with Terry and Annie!

    Thursday, August 4, 2005

    Weird Dreams

    I had strange dreams last night about searching for a copy of Astonishing X-Men in this comic shop. In my dream, I was in this comic shop, and I was sure I'd seen a copy in the window, but when I went in they told me they had no more copies.

    I asked if I could have the copy in the window, but they told me I could only have it if I could "get it".

    First, they made me stretch for it. So I had to stand, and close my eyes, and just try to reach for it, even though it was at least four or five feet away. I closed my eyes, and imagined myself stretching, and I could picture every elasticized superhero in my head. I thought I could actually feel my arm stretching. 

    But when I opened my eyes, my arm hadn't stretched. Fie on you, Mr. Fantastic.

    So instead, they were like, "Well, you can go under". What it was was a see-through plexiglass maze. I got down on my hands and knees and wriggled through it, while the comic book shop guys just watched. I finally grabbed the comic and returned, exuberant!

    When I realized, to my chagrin, that it was really ULTIMATE X-Men. And not Astonishing.

    So, I kept rummaging through the piles, until finally I found something that said Astonishing X-Men - Life Without Xavier

    But I opened it up, and it was colored balls in water. Like those old games where you use a flipper and knock the balls around the water. One of the comic book guys came over, and said "You know, that's for the PSP"

    And I said, "Lies. This is a water toy." 

    And that... was the end of the dream.


    ... On that note. I could really use some comics. Especially Astonishing X-Men. I'd finished through Issue 10 before I left.

    Chronicles of a Mosquito


    I was flying around Entebbe last night, so hungry for blood!

    Our mosquito colony has been so busy thanks to the impending rainy season and you, know, just getting busy, and I need to lay my eggs, so I was on the prowl for some succulent yummy blood.

    I was flying through this house near the lake where I'm hoping to lay my eggs, and I went into two rooms and could SENSE blood! But when I tried to fly in for the kill, I was somehow unable. I scanned the perimeter, but there was some mesh that was impeding me.

    I ventured into a third room, positive that I'd have to fly ALL the way to another house, and I was feeling pretty upset.

    I saw the mesh hanging over the blood source again. Just for kicks, I went through my routine of scanning the perimeter... and, what's this?

    There was an OPENING! It was probably only a foot wide (I'm a US-based mosquito. I don't use the metric system) but it was PLENTY big for me!!

    So, I flew in and YUM! Juicy delicious blood! I figured, hey, this is sweet! So I buzzed to my girlfriends to come and take a bite as well! (I think I made the call when I was over the "ear")

    Trudy, Beth and Serena all came over, and they were HUNGRY! Serena alighted on the thigh, and I think she had some sort of deficiency, because she tried biting three times within a one inch space before she finally "got it"

    Joyce and Hildegaard finally came over after about 10 minutes, because, well, they're slow like that.

    And the six of us had a right feast! I'm surprised that that human had any blood left at all once we were done.

    Our bellies almost too full to fly, we made our way very slowly back to the Lake, where we laid our eggs.

    But we'll be sure to tell all our friends AND our newly hatched children where to go for the best blood in town!!

      Wednesday, August 3, 2005

      I am an IndEEpendent W00man

      I decided that lying here in the perfect, lovely sun and feeling sad and morose was simply not a way to be.


      What might be really nice would be a dinner and a swim. 

      So, I just ensnared Annie (who was far too busy being productive and work-good) into coming with me to Lake Vic for exactly that.

      Fie on you, co-dependency. Fie on you, loneliness.

      I scoff in your intangible faces!

      Grrr. Argh.

      Okay. So I'm seven hours ahead. It's rare that I'm awake and free when other people are.

      So, when Mason sent me an email and I was like "Woa, he's awake, I'm awake!" I thought it might be nice to revisit Instant Messenger.

      How foolish I was. Foo-Lish.

      Not only does my connection stink, but I'm left at this end, feeling annoyed, unsatisfied and generally so distant because having this urgency of concurrent awakeness, along with the lack of proper connection reminds me how far away from everyone I know and love. 

      And it hit me. Again. The sadness. The distance. I'm suddenly tired, and I'm contemplating closing and locking my door and taking a nap. I'm supposed to be working for another 30 minutes, and I just can't do it. I have gotten some stuff done today.

      Annoyingly, the Volunteer Handbook that I spent time updating seems to refuse to open on the director's PC. 

      The weather is finally clearing up today too. I sort of wish that more time had elapsed, so that I could go to the mailbox and fetch letters and have all my spirits lifted. But alas, it's too early for that.

      Ah well

      I need to learn the African timetable already.

      My appointment that was supposed to be at 2 pm hadn't shown up yet. It was already 4 pm.

      I just called him and he informed me that they (the printers) were "still finalizing compartments of my order"

      Uhh.. okay. I said, in my nicest tone, "Please, in the future, if we have an appointment for 2 pm, can you call if you are going to be delayed?"

      But still. Argh.

      I've been waiting for this guy all afternoon. Wtf?

      So, he's "leaving Kampala in a half hour" ... he's not gonna get here til like, 6 pm!

      The Rest of the Endless Evening

      Anyway, I want to cover my bases. Plus, all the relatives that are reading this don't need to read how drunk off my ass I got.

      So, we're at the Lake Vic at the bar, and we're sitting J, L, Me. I'm sitting next to this flight attendant who flies for Safair. He's totally doofy looking and has got huge metal braces, and he's totally trying to hit my shit. 

      I'm sort of mocking him, mostly because I can, and also because I'm just not interested at all. Eventually, I migrate away from him towards J and her friend G, who wants to work for CSWCT.

      J is dying to go to Kampala, to see her friend "Nobert" who is soon moving to the UK to be with his muzungu wife and son. To my horror, L invites Gavin the Doofy Steward to come with us, and they're holding hands on the way to the taxi stand, and we go to get into the car, and J just takes the front seat, with the claim "I get car sick". So me, who's got the biggest ass of the bunch, is stuck in the back seat with G, L and Gavin. J, who's a waif, is in luxury in the front.

      What's worse, L and Gavin start making out in the car and like, fondling each other. I'm sitting next to L, and Gavin is drunk, and he keeps inadvertently fondling ME! GAH!

      FINALLY we get to Kampala, to a pub called "Bubbles O'Leary"... basically, a haven for Whiteys. I think every white person in Uganda was there.

      I was already buzzing, because I'd had 3 drinks at Lake Vic, but Gavin bought me another Bell at Bubbles and then bought all of us shots. So, now, well, I'm drunk.

      I start talking to this dumpy 40's-ish guy who works security at the UN merely because he looks like he could use someone to talk to. Eventually I skitter off, and befriend another J and this girl B, who work in Kampala, J for the IPS. 

      They're heading to Rouge, and they've got Nobert in tow, so we follow. Rouge is BUSY and HOPPING. Really. I spend some portion of the evening scoping out this guy who looked like a total dork, but didn't actually feel compelled to talk to him. I danced quite a lot, but still felt slightly out of place.

      L and Gavin disappeared after a time, and J was with some tall handsome guy. Although he was the excuse for coming to Kampala, we saw little to none of Nobert, so [shrugs] don't ask me about that either ;). 

      I had oodles of fun dancing, because they played a nice mix of Ugandan music and white pop/dance music. I loved the dancing, and danced with J 1, J 2, G, B, and really, just anyone who was around. Usually when I go out, it reminds me of my teenage years, and makes me feel a little old.

      But at Rouge, I didn't feel old. I felt new. Because I wasn't rehashing old memories... I was dancing at a nightclub in KAMPALA, UGANDA... in AFRICA. Like... when have I ever done that before? ;) 

      I got pawed a bunch on the dance floor, and this one guy just wouldn't take the hint as I found excuses to dance AWAY from him. I went to sit down, because it was just too warm, and he came over to try to mack. THANK GOD G came over and scared him away. But then, I think, because I was so grateful to see him, that G got sort of the wrong idea.

      Also, he was probably drunk too! It was around 3 am, and I'd drunk all I wanted to. I'd eaten almost nothing during the day and had drunk quite a lot, so my stomach was feeling mega funky.
      I'd also danced just about enough for the next month. I was sweaty, and tired, and I said so to J.

      Now, J complained while her dad was here that he had endless stamina and that he kept her out too late. I hoped this meant that she was reasonable. After all, we'd been out in Kampala for a little over 3 hours, and had been partying since 8 pm. That's 7 hours of fun. Isn't that enough?

      So when I came to her, hoping to leave, and she called back to me over the din "It's still early!" I wasn't quite sure what to do. It would be really bad if she hated me and thought I was a party pooper.

      I sat down, had some water, and hoped that my stomach would calm down. It didn't, but after about an hour, J was like "Let's go!"

      However, she meant going to a third club. As she phrased it to me "Don't you want to go? You might never get another chance while you're here!"

      [sighs] So I went to Silk with them. She told us in the cab that there was a 20,000 Ushs cover charge. Whhhhat? That's like, $10. I don't even pay that in the US. 

      But we were already there, so J paid the cover with the intention of me paying more of the cab ride on the way home. Or something.


      I went to the bathroom, hoping for respite. J had said she wanted to stay at Silk for an hour, so I was resolute that I wouldn't suggest leaving until 5 am. Funnily, the club was all "trendy" and there was see-thru toilet seats with barbed wire inside them.

      Also, they showed the fashion channel and there was a LINGERIE show, so they're watching mostly-naked skeletal white women parade up and down the catwalk as their "ambience" on the televisions. Quite odd.

      G kept leaning in and saying "Let's tell J we want to leave" and I kept saying "no, no, not until 5 pm"

      Around 4:55 am, J asked if we wanted  to tour the whole club. Silk has three levels, one for the "kids", one that's called Silk Royale, and then "Silk Lounge" which is the very exclusive high-end section (that we were in)

      So, we walked through and wow, they loved blacklight. Silk Regular had already closed because hell, it was 5 am. I figured, though, that a facility-tour was a perfect end-of-the-evening experience.

      I can't imagine I looked good. My stomach was in knots, and I wasn't sure whether I was going to pass out or vomit. I hadn't drunk in about 2.5h now, but I still felt like ass. What was going on?

      Once in Silk Royale, J is like "want to stay here a bit?" to which I finally stood up and said "no, I'm really tired. I want to go home"  Then she looks at her watch and is like "Oh, you must be tired because it's 5 am!" and chuckles, as if she just realized it. 

      We walk back downstairs, and, as we pass the Silk Lounge again, she's like "Sure you don't want to go in for a bit more?" I really just wanted to scream at her then. Not even Paris Hilton parties like this anymore. Come ON. 

      I started walking towards the door with hopes that she'd get the damned hint, but everyone just moved SO SLOWLY. Cabs were rallying for our business, and they were negotiating, and again, I just wanted to scream. I just wanted to GO! 

       Luckily for me, I just fell asleep on the way back to Entebbe. 

      I think I ended up paying for all of the cab, which, in retrospect, uh, I shouldn't have had to, but I just didn't care. We came in and I crashed into my bed, thinking that sleep was immediate.


      I figured, anyway, that I'd get to sleep late the next day, a Sunday, where nothing was planned.

      Ha!

      Was I wrong.

      At 8:30 am (read: 2 hours after I'd fallen asleep) J's alarm went off. Amazingly, she'd already woken up because she had to pack to go back to the forest. And she'd left her alarm clock on. And she wasn't in the room.

      It just went off over and over and over again. She finally came in and turned it off.

      Hate. Hate. Hate. Die.

      At 10 the dogs started barking, the two puppies playing with each other. I screamed, hoarse and cracking "Shuuttttuuuppp" but they didn't stop.

      With people coming in and out, packing, I just gave up. I went downstairs, did email, LJ, etc and had some tea. 

      YAY! Precious sleep. preeccciooousss.

      So, I went upstairs to sleep.